Language Group: Anmatyerr

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas and Linen, Wood Carving

Country: Alhalker, Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs

Subjects: Atnwelarr (Pencil Yam), Kame (Pencil Yam Seed), Country, Awelye (Women's Ceremony), Atham-areny Story, Anwekety (Conkerberry), Bush and Camp Scenes, Emu Dreaming

Josie Petyarr Kunoth is an Anmatyerr artist from the eastern desert region of Utopia. She lives in a remote outstation named Pungalindum with her husband, Dinny Kemarre Kunoth, their five sons, four daughters and four grandchildren. Josie began producing art in the early-1980s as part of the Utopia Women’s Batik Group. She was involved in the 1988 Picture Story batik project and the 1989 A Summer Project which marked the beginning of her painting in acrylic on canvas. Her paintings represent awely – women’s ceremonial stories and dreamings often celebrating the sustenance from her country – the bush yam, yam seed, the conkerberry and other plants.

Josie and her partner Dinny also sculpt quirky birds, animals and ceremonial figures and AFL footballers from the wood of the native bean tree. They often collaborate on large projects such as sculptural installations and paintings of city and bush scenes. They were joint finalists in the X-strata Coal Emerging Indigenous Art Award at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. where they exhibited colourful sculptures of everyday objects. Josie was also a selected entrant in the 25th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award exhibition, and the Basil Sellers Art Prize at Ian Potter Museum in Melbourne.

• Artbank 

• Art Gallery of South Australia, SA

• Australian Parliament House Collection, Canberra

• Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia

• City of Perth Collection, WA

• The Holmes à Court Collection, Perth

• Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth, Western Australia

• Murray Bridge Regional Gallery, Murray Bridge, South Australia

• National Museum of Australia, Canberra

• State Library of Victoria, Victoria

• University of Western Sydney, New South Wales

• La Culture en Couleur in Paris